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My favourite weekend brunch includes this Middle Eastern egg dish called Shakshouka. This dish is a feast for the palate with a myriad of spices simmered in a slow cooked tomato sauce with an abundance of chili’s, and topped with farm fresh eggs poached directly in the pan over this magical sauce. It’s adorned with an assortment of fresh herbs and sheep’s feta cheese.

The inspiration for this dish came from a recent dinner I have with the FeedFeed and the Vitamix team here in Toronto a few weeks ago. It was a lovely dinner with the entire meal prepared with Vitamix’s Winter Spice Seasoning. Delicious notes of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and dried oranges complemented and highlighted each course. It is such a lovely spice mix that I have incorporated it into my Shakshouka recipe and can’t wait to try it next in Indian spiced chai.

This spice blend was made in my new beautiful A3500 Ascent series Vitamix machine and took less than five minutes to make! This machine is a workhorse and has been an absolute delight to use.

The features for this machine are outstanding, I’ve never had a smoothie so rich and smooth and ready in under 1 minute. My kids love it and with the pre-set program settings it’s so easy for them to use!

I hope you enjoy the recipe and when you make it, please tag me on my social channels with my hashtag, #hautesucre as I would love to see your recreations.

Winter Spiced Shakshouka Recipe

The Shakshouka sauce can be made ahead of time especially if you’re making it for a large crowd and want to prep in advance. It can be warmed up to a gentle boil, ensuring the sauce is bubbling so that the eggs set. You want the whites to be just set while the yolks are still soft and runny. There’s no other way to serve this other than with a nice chunk of bread to scoop up the sauce.

Directions:

Add the Winter Spice mix and the rest of the ground spices and cook 3 minutes, stirring to incorporate everything.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas and 1/4 cup water (if using passata, do not add additional water). Cover and cook for about 10-15 min.

Smooth mixture into base of skillet and gently crack 4-6 eggs on top. Spoon some of the tomato sauce over and around the eggs. Immediately cover and cook approx 4-5 min or until eggs are cooked through to your desired preference (runny or semi solid yolk).

With a large spatula, gently remove sauce and eggs onto plates and top with chopped herbs and serve with crusty bread or pita. Enjoy!

(This post is sponsored by President’s Choice. I used their PC Black Label Peperoncini Piccanti to make these Spicy Eggs)

If you know me, spicy eggs are my favourite! I can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I love eggs! But this post isn’t about my love of eggs but of a recipe I created just for you using this amazing #PCBlackLabel Peperoncini Picante. The heat in these chili’s is unbelievably hot and complements this egg dish superbly.

When #PresidentsChoice asked me to partner with them for their #PCBlackLabel products, I knew it would be a good fit as I love to try new products and incorporate them into new recipes. It allows me to be CREATIVE and it’s always fun to #PlayWithYourFood!

Whether you’re a home chef or an aspiring foodie, the PC Black Label Collection makes it easy to unleash your culinary curiosity and get creative. Discover the entire collection and be inspired to #PlayWithYourFood at pc.ca/blacklabel.

If you like a little bit of heat with your breakfast, I hope you’ll try this. I’ve made it healthy and hearty with the addition of spinach and potatoes.

The recipe feeds two people but can easily be doubled by adding more eggs. I hope you’ll enjoy it and please tag your recipe creations with my hashtag, #hautesucre so that I can see them. Bon Appetit!

Lower the heat to the minimum setting and spread the mixture evenly in the pan, creating 2-3 wells or indents for the eggs.

Crack the eggs into the indents and cover the pan with the lid. Poach the eggs on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the eggs are cooked though but the yolks are still runny. Transfer to a plate and enjoy!

I recently held a backyard bbq dinner party to celebrate the changing of the seasons in partnership with Cascade Platinum #sparklingclean.

I had the opportunity to put the product to the test and I must say, I’m impressed! Not only did it remove the hard, cooked on food residue, it left all of my dishes sparking clean!

In order to host a successful dinner party, there are a few rules that are important to follow in my repertoire. I’ve hosted numerous parties, whether they’re fancy affairs or simple gatherings, it all boils down to a few essential steps and making sure you’re always prepared. I share my views with fellow Chef, Michael Smith who offers a few essential entertaining tips below:

1. Spend Time To Save Time:
Prep as much as you can in advance, from setting the table to prepping food. This allows you to spend more time with your guests entertaining, instead of being in the kitchen.

2. Make Your Guests Feel Special:
It’s important to go the extra mile in making your guests feel special. I love to decorate the house with fresh flowers, music, lovely table setting and sparkling dishes.

3. Clean As You Go:
While cooking, load the dishwasher so that you don’t have to do all the clean up after. This saves time and with Cascade Platinum, you don’t need to worry about pre-rinsing.

4. Share The Work:
Lighten the load and enlist the help of your guests if possible, this will help ensure the party runs smoothly between courses.

5. Grand Finale:
End the evening with a bang! Perhaps with a spectacular dessert, sparkling Champagne or a little gift for your guests, making the night memorable.

Here are a few highlights from our delicious backyard bbq dinner party. I’m so happy that my cleanup was made easy with the help of Cascade!